Her Majesty’s Record of Needlework, Knitting and Royal Proclamations

Get a Piece of the Rock!

Our trip to Plymouth is over. Did you know you can touch a piece of Plymouth Rock in the Pilgrim Hall Museum? Yep, you can, and yep, I did. The rest of the actual rock is outside in mausoleum which you can’t reach, but you can see it. It’s quite small compared to what most people are expecting, so it’s a little of a disappointment. The EGA program, however was not a disappointment on any level!

Initially, we broke into two groups. My group first were treated to a talk by the very knowledgeable Peg Baker. She showed us 6 gorgeous unframed antique samplers, front and back. The good news is that Joanne Harvey is recreating two of them. They will be gorgeous! We didn’t touch the samplers ourselves, but we were within inches and could soak up every stitch. It was truly wonderful. We then traded places with the other group and had a highlight tour of the remainder of the museum, paying special attention to the fabulous Loara Standish Sampler and the Mercy Otis Warren cardtable. I have to stay that these photographs are terrible and do not do these lovely pieces justice. I was just drooling over the card table. The colors are not black and red at all. The background is a soft teal and the flowers are fantastically shaded in greens, pinks, blues and yellows. It is very lovely.
After the luncheon break, we were in for a real treat. An interview with Elizabeth Creeden. I’m sure I can’t describe this afternoon adequately. But I’ll give it a try. Elizabeth is a needle artist. She designs crewel work and used to the own the Sampler. You can order her kits from The Twining Thread. I highly recommend the Pastoral Fan. I was able to see the original and it is gorgeous. On to more gorgeousness. A number of years ago, the Plymouth Library had built a new children’s wing and asked for submissions of art for the wing. Elizabeth proposed a design based on Alice in Wonderland in the May Morris style. Sadly, the Library choose something else. They really missed the boat. But serendipitously, someone saw a drawing of Elizabeth’s work for this project and commissioned her to create it for his home. The hanging piece is done on a wool teal damask and measures 7 FEET by 7 FEET. Yep, feet. We were able to see the top part of the tree finished. It is beyond description. I will have a photo printed and scanned and put in here within a day or two.

Our trip to the Sampler was a big disappointment. It has changed since Elizabeth has left. I had called a few weeks in advance to let the owner know that a few dozen stitching people (we actually had 40 in our group) would be in town and would she stay open a little later to accommodate such a large group? I never heard back. When I went to the shop, the shelves were bare. I didn’t see any new models from when I had last been in there 3 years ago. In all my years of going to the Sampler while attending Sampler Gathering, I had a usual habit of spending a few hundred dollars at a time in there, as did my traveling companion (BFF Lisa) . It was an effort to spend $40.

To make up for the lack of stash enhancement, I stopped at Yankee Cross Stitch , which has also recently been under new ownership. I have to say that this was a much better experience. The new owner here, Erica, has been doing a fantastic job. She made some changes and they’re terrific. There is even a shop cat – Fletcher.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Good foods, great friends, and stitching! I got exactly as much done on my Frances sampler as I had hoped and am looking forward to finishing it before the stitch-in at Patti’s house at the end of the month.

I enjoyed my trip to the Sampler, but I wondered about them. No sign of the proprietor, for instance, and the inventory seemed slim, although I liked a number of the things I saw, so that kind didn’t matter much. My disappointment came later, when I didn’t hear from them about an order I placed in the store, and when I called, the husband of the owner couldn’t find my order, promised to have his wife call later, and I subsequently never heard from anyone. Seems she must be an absentee shop owner, which I think in that business just doesn’t work. Too bad–it has such potential and a perfect location. I loved reading your account of your gathering. I so much wanted to visit the museum, but my (elderly) parents were tired and wanted to go home, and my sister wasn’t interested, so I figured I’d do it on my own at some point down the road.